The red-hot Pens continued to roll Thursday night at CONSOL, and Sidney Crosby continued to carry them to victory, this time with one of his most impressive performances in an MVP-caliber season. Crosby posted a natural hat trick, scoring all three goals for the Penguins in Pittsburgh’s 3-2 win over the Thrashers. The Penguins extended their winning streak to eight games in the process, and the Thrashers ended theirs at six. With three goals today, Crosby tied Steven Stamkos for the NHL’s goal-scoring lead.
Crosby’s first-period goal was assisted by Chris Kunitz and Deryk Engelland. His second-period goal came after a long pass by Arron Asham left Crosby all alone to take on Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec. And the third came on a tip of a blue-line shot by Brooks Orpik (and was also assisted by Kris Letang).
Bryan Little (on a rare power-play goal for Penguins opponents) and Nik Antropov recorded goals for the Thrashers. Marc-Andre Fleury had 20 saves for the Pens.